That deeply American ideal of community values, that all people are inherently equal and interconnected, is what we need to be reminded of, regardless of the messenger.

Sally Kohn, Movement Vision Lab, in Huffington Post

Recently in the New York Times, Gloria Steinem argued that if Barack Obama was a woman, he wouldn’t be elected. That’s probably true. Ms. Steinem then concludes that gender “is probably the most restricting force in American life.” That’s definitely false. Or, rather, a false choice. The reality is that racism and sexism are both profound and pervasive throughout our society. Ranking different forms of oppression is a ridiculous waste of time. We should be working to eradicate all forms of oppression, not deciding which one takes precedence.

In other words, just because Senator Obama was (at the time of Ms. Steinem’s op-ed) surging above Hillary Clinton doesn’t mean that racism has taken a back seat to sexism in the American body politic. Voter preferences may actually have to do with perceived differences on the candidate’s positions. Or they may have to do with how each candidate uses their identity: Senator Clinton highlighting her uniqueness as a woman in appealing to women voters, Senator Obama emphasizing how his experiences as an African American give him a more universal insight on unity and solidarity that applies across race. It’s not to say one approach is right or wrong but merely different takes on their marginalized identities not merely different identities between these two candidates.

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Despite the outrage over a proposed regulation that would dishonestly define birth control as abortion, will the administration be dissuaded from the stealth attack on women's rights?

Editorial Board, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Submitted by Evergreene Digest Contributing Editor Ken Mitchell

The Bush administration has heard the outrage over a proposed regulation that would dishonestly define birth control as abortion. A Cabinet officer is trying to calm the objections from women's groups and Democrats such as Sen. Patty Murray, but only sustained public and political pressure can stop the repeal of a half-century of progress in family planning.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt used a personal blog to deny he intends to do anything other than strengthen legal protections for health care professionals against any requirement they, against their personal conscience, be forced to perform abortions. Leavitt blamed the media – who else? – for a misunderstanding: "An early draft of the regulations found its way into public circulation before it had reached my review. It contained words that lead some to conclude my intent is to deal with the subject of contraceptives, somehow defining them as abortion. Not true."

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The religious has right co-opted the language of feminism and the sexual revolution to try and make you feel bad about sex.

Dagmar Herzog, Perseus Books, in AlterNet.org

Editor's note: From the book Sex in Crisis: The New Sexual Revolution and the Future of American Politics by Dagmar Herzog. Excerpted by arrangement with Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2008

The Religious Right is a capacious tent in which many agendas and approaches have found a home. There are conservative evangelicals who promise worldly prosperity and success (if only you trust enough in God's plans). There are others who gird themselves for Armageddon. There are the vehement defenders of "Merry Christmas" and school prayer and the enemies of evolution and intellectualism and "liberal elitism." There are highly intellectual (and themselves elite) members of the Religious Right. There are those who see the culture clash with neofundamentalist Islam as the current big threat, and those who work to justify the ongoing war in Iraq as a properly Christian cause. There are those who raise money for and organize tourism in Israel in the expectation that at the End of Days a majority of Jews will convert to Christ. But right-wing evangelicalism achieved power in American politics primarily through its sex activism. And in fifteen years of steady effort, it managed to undo the most important achievements of the sexual revolution of the 1960s-1970s.

Countdown with Keith Olbermann, MSNBC, in PageOneQ

Submitted by Evergreene Digest Contributing Editor Ken Mitchell

The government's more afraid of its own gays than international terrorists, said MSNBC's Keith Olbermann.

After firing over 300 gay translators under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which prevents gay and lesbian personnel from serving openly, the military is now preparing to offer retention bonuses of up to $150,000 to those who remain, as the Christian Science Monitor reported Tuesday (August 5). The policy that put the military in such a position, which Olbermann called "moronic," he notes, remains in place, as costs to replace the translators, in bonuses alone, could reach $45 million.

"George Bush," Olbermann said, "has told us for seven years that Iraq is the front line in the 'War on Terror.' John McCain has screamed it at us for seven months and talked about needing to keep an American presence there from anywhere from a month to a millennium. But we're kicking out Arabic translators who want to stay, while we're offering $150,000 to the ones who want to leave."

"The U.S. military, the presidential administration, and our nation as a whole are officially more afraid of American gays than of Middle East terrorists," he closed. "That is insane."

The following segment is part of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann...

Related:

Lift the Ban - Combating "Don't Ask Don't Tell", Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)

David Weiss’ new book invites the Christian Church to sing a new song with regards to its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members.

Review By Michael Bayly in Progressive Catholic Voice

A timely collection of essays and hymns eloquently calling for a Christian faith that extends an affirming welcome to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons.

David Weiss’ recently released book, To the Tune of a Welcoming God, is a heartfelt compilation of great beauty and honesty. It’s a book that inspires and challenges through its unwavering focus on God’s loving and welcoming embrace. Without doubt, the world and the church hunger for such a focus, especially in relation to the many complex and potentially divisive issues of human sexuality. Thankfully, Weiss’s book is a veritable feast – one that both nourishes and delights.

Weiss is a member of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church and a steering committee member of the church’s Wingspan Ministry of “pastoral care, education, advocacy, and support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people.” Wingspan Ministry published Weiss’ book of essays and hymn texts last month.

In a media release, Wingspan Ministry notes that its partnership with Weiss is aimed at “foster[ing] change in the ELCA [Evangelical Lutheran Church in America] policy concerning rostering of GLBT clergy and laity and performing services of blessing of relationship for GLBT couples.” The group wants to see that change happen at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to be held in Minneapolis.

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